Picking apart todays video games to see what makes me tick…

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MMO video journalism – current level: laughable.

I don’t usually like to tear into other people doing the same kind of thing I’m doing, but frankly, I started this blog because I wanted to see something better than what I was finding out there. I’m tired of half-assed or censored game news and opinions, which is why I started writing my own.

I just watched Pokket’s review of the Firefall Closed Beta and I have to say, I’m not impressed. Oh, the game looks gorgeous and I can hardly wait to play it; what I’m not impressed with is Pokket as a serious and professional game journalist. I’ve watched a few of her videos and though her Blogs are pretty awesome, I just can’t take her seriously at all as a video journalist. I tried, I really did. I have no doubt she’s an awesome person & fun to game with. I know she has some honestly good opinions about games and I thoroughly enjoy her written blog. But as a video journalist, I just cannot take her seriously anymore. She mumbles, constantly trips over her own words… It’s like listening to a 15 year old girl talk about her boy-band obsession while on a long road trip. And you know something, I’ve watched numerous video podcasts by other people, too, with the same M.O. – just some gamer who thinks their opinion is important enough to share but has no actual ability to report “news” on camera and no “stage presence,” thinking that a gimic, some pretty graphics, their name, and their opinion is enough to make a “quality video podcast.”

The guys over at Jupiter Broadcasting do a pretty damn good job, but they spread their topic focus way too much past gaming itself, I feel. They are also still lacking in some professionalism in their demeanor. Sometimes friendly & relaxed can be taken too far, and I’m looking for something a bit more focused and robust. Jeremy was, to me, the best part of the JB team, and I watched STOked & MMOrgue rabidly. Both were amazing shows, and I loved his simplistic explanations of complex workings in both games and the gaming industry. His hiring on at Cryptic was awesome for both himself and for Star Trek Online, but JB took a huge blow that I don’t think they’ll ever truly recover from.

I’ve seen a few Video Game video podcasts, but there’s not that many out there, to be honest. There’s lots of audio podcasts of various qualities (both in production and in performamce) and tons of blogs dedicated to MMO gaming, but apparently there’s not many video podcasts out there for games in general, and for MMO games specifically.

Why is that? I want that to change. I want to see a good video podcast with news, tips, reviews, tutorials, etc. that doesn’t give the impression that it was the brain-child of a couple of bored guys during a night of drunken WoW. Even if I bloody well have to do it myself. What I need is a team, though; I can’t do an entire endeavor of the style and quality I’m looking for all by myself. Do I think I could do better? Given the resources and time, hell yes. I could do a lot better. Do I have the resources and time? I wish, but no, I don’t right now. But you better believe I’m working towards it.